One Step at a Time
by GentleRapids
Summary: Two exchange students, Suma and Elina, come to Ouran to get away from their dismal past. Although they seem like well-adjusted individuals, their fortified walls may come crashing down in a most unexpected way. For better or for worse...it's too early to tell. They just need to remember to take it one step at a time. That's all, really.
1. Chapter 1

Ah, the impersonal, air-conditioned smell of the airport. Suma heads into JFK with her little brother attempting to help her with the baggage, and her parents trail behind. Suma would meet up with Elina, her Korean best friend, by the boarding gates. She needs to say goodbye to her family, too. Her dad gets in line with her to check in her multiple bags and carry-ons, both with a smooth emotionless face.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure Ma takes care of herself."

He cracks a slow grin. "I'll try. You get your stubbornness from her, you know."

That was enough for Suma to hear. She and her dad were never really talkative and understood each other quite easily. Ma had never been in a great health condition, with her muscles and nerves locking up every once in a while, leaving her in great pain and a new prescription. She's doing ok, but she hates taking so many meds. Suma still worries about leaving her for two years for an exchange program, but Elina had convinced her and her parents, that it would be great for her future and all.

And here she is ready to say goodbye to Ma for two years, the Ma who wouldn't even let her go anywhere alone without a responsible adult. Ha! Guess she couldn't help agreeing with Elina, whom she saw as another daughter, well, one who was Korean.

Dad starts it off. "Suma, don't you dare forget Indian heritage when you're surrounded by all those Japanese people, hm? And oh, work out with Elina or something. You know how we Karunyas get when we just eat and eat, like the lovers of food we are."

Suma grabs her laughing Dad in a hug. "GAH, I'll miss you too Dad. Ma, get over here."

Ma's already a blubbering mess as she joins the hug. "WAH, you're only sixtee-"

"I'll be seventeen soon enough. August isn't far away."

"—SO YOUNG! Make sure you safe and don't go anywhere without Elina. Thank God you have all your classes together. And oh, feed yourself properly. I expect you to call me EVERYDAY young lady. Did you pack everything? Are you sure? And ugh, stay away from weird boys. Males are no good anywhere in the world."

"HEY!" Dad thankfully stops Ma's tirade, although probably for his own benefit. Suma just smiles and nods at her.

"Ok, Ma. I have to go now. I'll call you as soon as I can, ok?" She turns to her brother.

"Surya, I didn't forget about you. Come give your big sis a hug!~" As he reluctantly does so, she just had to add in, "Don't go chasing after girls or anything. I won't be there to whack them off when they get all obsessive, k?" He punches her in the arm and lets go of her.

Sura heads to the ticket-holders area only section and turns back once more to wave back. She hurries to meet up with Elina. She catches a glimpse of Elina dramatically waving at her at their boarding gate and grins with excitement. She's actually going to Japan with her best friend!

Elina and Sura eventually find their seats and at take-off, Elina stares out the window while Sura tries to calculate when she needs to fall asleep to adjust to the new timezone. Giving up, both of them end up staying up the entire time, binging on movies, shows and bland airplane food.

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They take a taxi provided by the school they were transferring into to their new apartment. It's only seven in the morning when they finally get settled in and ponder about their schedule for the rest of the day. And just as Suma tries to get their internet set up, "SUMA, let's go out for a run!"

"Ugh, let me laze around for a while, can't you?"

"We're not letting your maintained body just crumble. You might even be getting ABS!"

"How the fuck are you so active right now?" Elina gets her puppy face ready.

"DON'T give me that look. Let me just get my sweats out."

Taking a map with her, Suma starts her run with Elina, cussing her out under her breath. Elina laughs and pushes her harder. Suma makes her stop at a nearby market by the corner, insisting that they need more than air to survive even two days. Suma heads towards the essentials while Elina wanders among the candy aisles.

"POCKY! Fuck yes!" A brunette nearby just gives her a weird look, and Elina blushes and tries to explain in choppy Japanese.

"Ehh, sorry about that! My best friend and I just moved into the country and I just got so excited over Pocky since we don't have much of it in the US—"

Suma finally finds the source of the excited squeal and sighs when she sees Elina nervously blubbering to a girl in the aisle. "So sorry! I'm Suma Karunya, and this is my friend Elina Pan. We both just moved here today since we were accepted for an exchange with a private high school."

"Ouran Academy!" Elina had to jut in.

Surprisingly, the brunette begins to show signs of awkwardness and fidgets.

"Ha, it's alright. I actually go to Ouran too, but on a scholarship. I'm a first year. To be honest, I've seen weirder people at the Host Club. I'm Fujioka Haruhi, by the way."

"Don't mind our rough Japanese. Still learning the more difficult parts, hm? We're going to start as second years." Suma starts to lead them towards the checkout line, while Elina grabs another five boxes of Pocky. She lets Elina continue the conversation as she bags the groceries.

"Can we call you Haruhi, or do you want an honorific at the end? Don't you dare use an honorific with us! It makes us feel awkward. And what happened to you hair, it seems a bit roughly cut? And where do you live? We live at the apartment complex around the corner."

Haruhi, surprisingly, just laughs. "You two really remind me of Kyouya-senpai and Tamaki-senpai. Let me just answer those questions in order. If it helps you adjust better here, then you don't have to use the honorific with me. And some idiot stuck gum in my hair, and I didn't feel like bothering with it and cut it myself. And if you're the new tenants, I live next door!"

Suma just stares at Haruhi. New people never got hang of Elina's rapid conversations that quickly. She might just have to make Haruhi an honorary friend right now.

Suma adds in, "Would you mind showing us around Ouran before school starts on Monday?"

"Sure, I'll be glad to."

The three of them head towards their destination, and since Haruhi chose to not buy anything, she offers to help them with their multiple items. Conversation is light as the two best friends talk about how they got notice of the exchange program and had immediately taken the entrance exams. Haruhi spills about the Host Club and how she has to pretend to be a boy to pay off the debt. The girls promise to keep her situation a secret and are happy they were able to make a new friend in Japan. With the last box of cereal in the fridge, Elina asked Haruhi if she wanted to go out for a run for them. Suma face-palmed.

"Haruhi, don't mind her. I interrupted our run for a NECESSARY GROCERY RUN, and she pretty adamant when it comes to fitness. Heh~"

"Erm, it's alright, I'm not much of an active person. You guys go on. See you at 7 in the morning on Monday. School starts at 9." Elina sighs at the blatant refusal, and drags Suma out to continue their run. They plan to do a 2-mile circuit around the neighborhood, and continue on.

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Having raced the last quarter, the two of them stop in front of their apartment building, Suma wheezing, and Elina panting. "Good job Suma! You're getting better!" Suma just gives her a middle-finger, struggling to catch her breath. She straightens up when a Mercedes pull up and a blonde shoots out to embrace them both, suffocating them further.

"ARE YOU TWO BEAUTIFUL GIRLS BEING CHASED BY A MAFIA BOSS FOR TURNING DOWN HIS ADVANCES? OH, YOU POOR LOVELIES, I'LL PROTECT YOU. DADDY WILL NEVER LET YOU GET HURT!"

Elina punches him in the gut and pulls Suma out of the stranger's grasp. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER AGAIN, YOU VILE CRETIN. WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

A pair of redheaded twins and a tall black-haired boy eventually get out of the car.

"Wow, you have a way with the ladies, don't you senpai?" One of the twins snickers, while the other curiously observes the new girls.

"MOMMY, MAKE THE DEVILS STOP!" The black-haired one just sighed in annoyance and stepped forward with a strained smile.

"I'm sorry for this idiot's misconceptions. I'm Ootori Kyouya. This idiot's Suoh Tamaki, and the twins are Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru. We were here to pick up a friend, and Tamaki, here, got a little excited when he thought you two were running away from something or someone. We'll be on our way, and sorry for the inconvenience."

Elina looks at Suma with a smirk, while Suma tries to make her shirt not stick so closely to her skin, "Eh, Suma, don't guys like it when they see girls all hot and sweaty?"

Suma snorts, "Maybe he's just sexually repressed." Elina laughs and leans over for a high-five with Suma.

Tamaki blushes furiously and looks everywhere but at them. The twins get a weird look on their faces as they come closer to the girls, "Tono's always like that, such a prude! It was a _pleasure _meeting you." Kyouya shows hints of a smirk as he led the others to an apartment door.

"Hey, Elina, isn't that Haruhi's door?"

"I guess those are the friends she mentioned that were in the Host Club."

"Hah, won't they be surprised when we show up at their school?"

"Duh, I wanna make them feel more awkward. They have such amusing reactions."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, YET. We can plan later."

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Preview of Chapter 2

Pink. _Pink. _PINK?!

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Heyyyyyyyohhhhhh! Teehee. I wanted to get this idea of a fic out there. Approve or decline by reviewing, and I'll see if I can continue. I needs lots of motivation guys, LOTS!

Anyway, I need specific feedback on the following things.

1) Should I keep this in present-tense or it awkward to read?

2) Should I keep this in 3rd person omnicient/limited, or should I do first person (switching it between Suma and Elina)?

3) I kept the rating as M for possible future scenes, but now it's just for all the cursing that's bound to come. Is that ok with y'all?

4) The title is still iffy, so tell me any suggestions if you come up with something more suitable.

5) What pairing do you want to see? Some characters are just so unloved. DX

That's it for now, and review, follow, and favorite...otherwise this idiot isn't gonna haul ass to write this.

Love ya~


	2. Chapter 2

CAPTAINSUPERGAY: I'M LOVE YOU IN EVERY PLATONIC WAY POSSIBLE...but seriously, thanks~ I'll be using plenty of cursing, but too much...otherwise it'll sound like some crack fic. teehee.

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Chapter 2 – Elina's POV

Pink. _Pink. _PINK?!

Although the architecture is pretty cool, THE FUCKING BUILDING IS PINK. I turn to walk away from the building when Suma catches hold of my wrist and drags me along.

"Suma, FUCK NO, I'll die if I go to a school that's pink!" I moan and whinge, but to no avail.

"Oh shut it. Even though Haruhi's going to show us around on Monday, we can use today to check in with the principal or superintendent or whatever." She continues to drag me like a sack of potatoes while I observe her outfit. She bows under her conservative upbringing and wears a simple tshirt and capris. I keep trying to make her more reckless and free now that the pressures of being in an Indian family are gone….temporarily. Suma tries, really. We might just have to go on a shopping spree…OH, we can get Haruhi to come along. Hmmmm, maybe…..

"Ok, we're here. We both need to be mature, and I know you are, Elina, but we don't know what type of person we're dealing with." I sigh knowingly and march on with her.

We enter a well-decorated office with a huge portrait of a blonde family behind the desk. The man at the desk stands up presumably to greet us and I see Suma hold her hand out to shake his. I struggle to hold in my giggles at Suma's face as the superintendent takes her hand and kisses it like a gentleman. It's between surprise and WHAT THE HELL IN GOING ON? This guy's already getting on my good side.

"I'm Suoh-san! You two must be the girls that are transferring in. Such beautiful ladies, both of you~ Come, come! Sit down for we have much to discuss." He takes a large folder out of one of his drawers, and pulls out our info. "Suma Suranya and Elina Pan, both second-years. Okay the both of you are in the same classes for Advanced English, Japanese Language and Culture as a history replacement, Advanced Calculus, Advanced Physics, and one empty slot for an elective. Here's a list." I take the paper and glance through the numerous courses.

"Su-su, what do want to take?" My awful nickname snapped her out of her lingering shock over Suoh-san's forward nature.

"Hmmm, let's take Pottery. We haven't tried that yet."

"That's great! Now, for the uniforms, this is how they look like." The boys' uniform is a stunning suit/tie combo and the girls' uniform is a vomit-yellow monstrosity. Both of us shudder at the thought of wearing the dress daily, and pointed to the boys' uniform. "Really? I must say that it comes as no surprise. You're both too graceful and womanly to settle for a _girls'_ uniform~" Both of us sweatdrop. Ehhh, I wonder, is he Tamaki's dad? Their last names….THEY MUST BE. Pffft, no wonder there's such a resemblance. Harmless, and too weird to be quirky. Suma just gives me a startled look. Looks like she figured out the relationship as well.

A woman with measuring tape comes through the door and we let ourselves be measured. She practically pulls our new clothes out of nowhere and leaves just as quickly.

"Oh, and before I forget, you both have to join at least once club as a requirement. Do it at your leisure in the next week or so. Have fun at Ouran~" We hightail it out of the office with a forced smile.

I break out in a fit of giggles as we make our way out of the school. "PAH, I can see where Tamaki gets his genes. Hey, Su-su we're gonna dress up like the suits like in Men in Black." I finger the soft material as Suma shoots me an amused grin and laughs.

"Well, we'll be Men in Blue then. Black is so last year." I snort and link arms with her.

"Su-su?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we shop for new clothes?"

"…fine."

YES! I jump on her back for an impromptu piggy-back ride and Suma grudgingly goes along with it.

"Just think of it as part of your fitness regimen."

"Fitness regimen, my ass. You just want to be carried." She feints dropping me, and I cling more to her.

"DON'T DO THAT! Damn it, I don't need to break something."

"If anything's gonna break, it'll be my back."

"Let's grab Haruhi! She's seems like she doesn't have enough girl time."

Suma pouts as she carries me out the front gate and towards home. Elina spends three minutes trying to persuade Haruhi to go shopping with them, before her transgender dad, Ranka-san comes out of nowhere (Hello, warning please?) and basically kicks Haruhi out of the door, telling her to have fun. He also gives us a standing invitation for dinner. Damn it, I want a parent like him.

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We make our way to the mall, and I lead them to sniff out all the trendy stores, grabbing some shorts for myself. I notice Suma take out multiple loose funky and smart-aleck tank tops and floral skirts, and I smile knowingly. Haruhi, on the other hand, simply wanders, never stopping at one thing. Su-su and I end up getting a formal dress just in case something comes up, and Su-su points out Haruhi, who keeps glancing at the price tag on a dark blue cocktail dress. Eventually, Su-su sneakily adds it to our haul to buy it for her. It's times like this, I remember how much of a kind and caring person Suma can be. She's done so much for me, it's unbelievable.

"Elina, you ok?" Suma frowns. Shit.

"Haha, just thinking~" She lightens up. I should be more careful around her. No need to worry her over nothing. Distraction, distraction, distraction—FOUND IT. "Su-su, I see some quality sports bras over there, COME ON~"

As the both of us browse through the selection, Haruhi awkwardly stand there. Suma, obviously deducts the reason why.

"You know, many girls are late bloomers. Don't worry about a small chest at such an age." Haruhi blushed tomato-red.

"It's okay Haru! We A-cups need to stick together~ Su-su's the odd one out, she's a C." I pout at her, while Suma sticks her tongue out at me.

"Say, Haru, those boys visited you from the Host Club yesterday, are you going out with one of them?" Haruhi's eyebrow twitches at the nickname and goes into a seizure at the question. Too easy.

"NO, WHY WOULD I? THEY'RE ALL RICH BASTARDS WHO MANIPULATE OTHERS!"

Suma adds from behind an aisle, "Denial~" Poor, Haruhi, she's just in absolute shock at our straightforwardness. Her horrified look makes me want to hug her.

"We were just joking, Haru! But if Suma does end up being right (like always) and you like one of them, we're here to listen to you. We'll be your adoptive older sisters, k~" Suma reassures Haruhi with a soft smile as she leans against the aisle. Haruhi gives us an annoyed look, and we glomp her, laughing hysterically.

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It's 6 in the fucking morning. Fucking jet-lag. Suma's practically death on legs and I'm basically sleep walking. We eventually make ourselves presentable in our new uniforms but gave up with our ties, leaving them around our necks as we head out. It's 7 when we ring Haruhi's bell, and she came out ready like a fucking daisy.

"You too awake for 7 in the morning. You're a monster." I accuse with a deadpan expression.

Suma miraculously remembers about the dress we bought and shoves the bag in front of Haruhi's face without a word.

"What's this?"

"Dress." Ahh, Su-su's too tired for sentences. Haruhi takes it out and begins to protest.

"Stop."

"Haruhi, we may not look like it buuuuut weeee'reeeee wellllll off. We have more than enough money to spare." I struggle to get all of that out through a jaw-breaking yawn.

Haruhi just sighs, muttering, "Rich bastards."

"Correction: upper middle class bitches… Fine, you can owe us a favor if you want."

"Ties." Haruhi seems to notice the scraps of cloth that were supposed to be folded into ties, and grudgingly does them for us.

"Let's go." Su-su's in the two-word stage now.

The three of us sludge our way to Ouran Academy, when I trip over my own feet in my drowsiness. Suma stops immediately, takes my messenger bag, and bends over in front of me.

"Get on."

"But, Suma, you're too tired—"

"Shut up." I hid a small smile and cling to her back, my 5 foot 2 inch slim stature to her 5 foot 9 inch solid one. She ends up carrying me through the entire tour, as Haruhi explains the layout of Ouran in detail. We stop at a garden with what seems like a shrub maze, and Suma starts to falter in her gait.

"Suma, you're going to take a goddamn nap right now."

"Elina, no—"

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up." Suma sighs in resignation and lays down on a nearby bench with her head in my lap and her long legs dangling off the other end of the bench. Her breath slows and shallows, and I know she's asleep.

A whisper broke the new silence. "You guys are really close, aren't you? How long have you been friends?" Haruhi sat on the opposite bench with a novel in hand.

"Since middle school, I believe. We actually first bonded over a stupid anime, but our friendship evolved over time. As for our closeness, let's just say we've both been through rough experiences and learned the hard way that we could only trust each other. That's why she gets really overprotective sometimes. She thinks it was her fault. That's not to say I don't act the same way sometimes. Maybe we'll tell you in time…once we're ready to." She nodded in acceptance and cracked her novel open to read.

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Suma wakes up to see me playing with her long, thick Indian hair. I swear you can do anything with it, mustaches, beards, the whole shebang. I give her an innocent smile and offer to braid her now messy hair before the first bell rings in 15 minutes. Su-su just rolls her eyes and sits up to let me do my work.

Haruhi, who had left a while ago, is running towards us with something in hand. She holds out some fruits and juice. Apparently she thought that we didn't have time to eat something for breakfast. Su-su's eyes widen and she looks at Haruhi in awe. Next thing I know, she's hugging the hell out of Haruhi, repeatedly thanking her for such a holy thing like food. I join the hug with just as much enthusiasm, and Haruhi is confused beyond all comprehension. I just had to take pity on her.

"Eh, Haru, looks like you've figured out our weakness."

"What?"

"FOOD!" Suma's already halfway through her portion, and glares at me so that I'd hurry, too.

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We eventually make our way to the front of the school and Suma protectively walks behind us. Haruhi groans in annoyance but knows to not say anything.

"Haru, can you walk us to our homeroom? We'll be able to take it from there."

We're literally 10 feet away from the 2-1 homeroom door when a blonde blur launches towards us. Haruhi, fortunately, leans down to pick up something, unaware of everything. This situation left Suma in the crossfire, and she ends up with an armful of crazy blonde, otherwise known as Tamaki.

"HARUHI! IT'S SO LOVELY TO SEE YOU! DID YOU COME TO SAY GOOD MORNING? AHHH, SOO CUTE!" Too Suma's horror, he seems to be nuzzling her chest, probably thinking it's Haruhi's head. Ahh, height differences and perceptions, what a pain in the ass. In this case, a _hilarious_ pain in the ass.

Haruhi looks up, presumably to yell the idiot's head off, and becomes red in the face as she struggles to not laugh out loud at the sight in front of her. Screwing restraint, I let my laughs out as Suma smirks as Idiot Tamaki notices that something's wrong.

"And to think... you just hide behind an innocent persona, don't you?..." Tamaki flinches and launches himself backwards with a horrified look.

"Tono, you've really got to stop molesting people. First Haruhi, now HEY, IT'S YOU!" And the wonder twins made their appearance. They start to tease Tamaki for all of the pervert-like things, picking up where Su-su started. Then, fucking fate/destiny/LIFE decided that we should meet the rest of the crew. This time a blonde blur crashes into me gushing about how Su-su and I looked so cute walking, or rather when I was carried, around school.

"Wait, how come you saw that? It was like WAY before school started."

"Ne~ Takashi and I come early so that he can practice Kendo." He pointed to a tall, somewhat tan boy in the back.

"Ah." Pfft, he's just like Su-su when she's tired. Opposites, maybe?

"I'm Haninozuka Mitsukini and that's Morinozuka Takashi. Call us Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai~ We're in class 3-1." He's too cute to be 18, there's got to be a twist. Maybe's he's into roleplay or has a foot fetish or something. No one can be 18 and that cute and innocent, HELL, I'm only 17 and I'm far from innocent.

Suma comes towards me, fixing her roughed up jacket, "Hey, Elina, we should get goi-", and notices Hunny and Mori. She immediately bows down awkwardly, "Nice to meet you!"

"Suma-chan~ Can we call you that?" She reluctantly nods. "You really should watch yourself when you carry someone for that long!"

She mutters, "I knew someone was watching us."

"Hmm." Seriously, I could sense the you-should-be-careful tone in one syllable.

Suma nervously waves it off and laughs, "It's alright! Thank you both for your concern."

"Ne, Takashi, doesn't Suma-chan look cute when she does that?" I KNEW IT, THE TWO-FACED MAN/BOY. Ugh, why am I even surprised he looks like someone who likes putting people in awkward situations.

"...ah." Even Mori feels awkward, and I swear, if Suma didn't have warm brown Indian skin, she'd be red from embarrassment. No one's immune to them.

What an exciting way to start the first day of school.

Oh, who am I kidding, it's JAPAN.

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Alright, time for the verdict, so cast your lovely eyes towards the review button, and CLICK IT.

While, the Title and Summary are still smeh, I'll change it eventually if needed...

Oh, and PAIRINGS PEOPLE. I was thinking Elina/Kyouya and Suma/Mori, but I need feedback, ANYTHING.

Bye for now~


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Suma's POV

The first day ended up being, for a lack of a better word, okay. Elina and I breeze through our Advanced classes, since we're used to AP courses in the States. We actually most of our classes with Kyouya and Tamaki, and surprisingly enough they're the top 2 students in our class. Well, we're probably going to throw that off for sure. We've always been procrastinators but we're ridiculously meticulous with our work. There's a reason why we were in the top 1% of our school's ranking back in the States. Thoroughout the week, the teachers learn that although Elina and I are loud and have off-topic conversations during partner work, we get shit done. We're just brilliant at multitasking. HAH, Elina's even showed up and debated correct answers by the teacher and once by Kyouya. I swear, Kyouya's eyes were filled with the intent of committing murder and genuine surprise. He looked constipated. Not kidding.

And then at the end of the first week, we drop a huge envelope of assignments at our teachers' desks. I wish I had taken a picture. Elina and I had managed to finish two months' worth of assignments in a week in order to catch up with the rest of the curriculum due to differences in the States. The teachers were on the verge of either bowing down screaming, "We're not worthy!" or burning us at the stake for being witches. Yea, we tend to evoke those type of emotions on a daily basis.

I get thrown off my train of thought when I bump into a rushing Haruhi.

"Oh hey, Suma-senpai-"

"I told you to just call me Suma." She ignores me. Sigh.

"I got too caught up with studying in the library and I'm late for Host Club, GAH, I have to go now." I grab her sleeve to make her slow down.

"I'll come with. Club meetings are cancelled today for Math Olympiad, and Elina's still at swim practice." I'm a fucking nerd, Elina's a fucking jock, and we're PROUD of it. It our way to branch off into various interests before we bury ourselves in Science. My dad and her mom work together as partners at a research firm, specializing in genetics, while our other parents are stay-at-home. So you can tell where our interests come from. We're all a weird bunch, but really close family friends, too.

"Well then, COME ON." She drags me to the Third Music Room and the door opens with a flutter of rose petals. I, being the graceful swan that I am, end up choking on some of them, I DON'T KNOW HOW. I try to wave it off nervously to a worried Haruhi, when Tamaki, the flying blonde idiot, glomps Haruhi in greeting.

So, everything's still normal.

Kyouya comes up behind me, "You can sit with Haruhi or help with the refreshments. And I need to discuss something with you after the club ends." I merely raise an eyebrow and follow Haruhi to her, erm his OH FUCK IT, _HER_ hosting table.

Her first guests are some first-years, and literally squeal in delight when they see her. And then they notice me.

"Ne, who are you? Are you a new host?"

"But she's a girl."

"Or maybe she's really a boy with long, lovely hair."

I burst out laughing at the last one. I might as well give a shot at hosting while I'm here though.

"Nonono, I'm Karunya Suma, second-year exchange student, and a girl, but I didn't want to wear the girls' uniform. It wouldn't suit my tallness, but it makes all of you look really cute! Really brings out your inner innocence." And cue the blushes. This is too easy.

I whisper in Haruhi's ear, "Are you sure they're not all closet lesbians?" Haruhi grows red at that comment, and the girls mistake it for something altogether.

"EHHH, are you two dating?"

"Karunya-san, what did you say to make Fujioka-san blush?"

"We REALLY want to know!"

Haruhi easily handles it with her "natural" smile, "Ano, no need to worry about that. We're just friends, and we're neighbors. So we hang out a lot." There's got to be a legitimate reason why they keep blushing at the simplest comment.

"But you two look so cute together!" I had to assess our positions. I'm sitting with my legs stretched out and arms splayed across the back of the couch while Haruhi sat normally, leaning against the couch and my arm. Pffft, no wonder.

"How about I get some refreshments for us, k?" I dash to what I assume is the kitchen and lo and behold, all the state-of-the-art appliances just sitting there, gleaming. I explore all the cupboards and find peanuts, spices, and surprisingly, fresh mangoes (WTF, they're not even in season now). Ehh, why the hell not. I set up to make some roasted spicy peanuts (less spicy than usual since they're probably not on my level, heh), and some mango lassi for the sweet-tooths. It's around a half hour or so later when I finally come out with serving dishes and set it down at the table.

Haruhi seems surprised by how much effort I put in. "Here you go! I wanted to make some traditional Indian snacks and beverages for you~" I wince at the loud screams and "KAWAII!"s that followed. They help themselves and I can't help but grin at their childish excitement at trying something new and liking it. Even Haruhi's helping herself to the lassi. The rest of the hosts make their way to see what the big deal is.

I hand the lassi to Honey-senpai, the resident sweet fanatic, and some spicy nuts to Mori-senpai, who looks like he'd appreciate the spiciness. I'm pleased to say that both seem pleased at the offering, and before long, Mori-senpai's gone for seconds of both for them before they run out. The twins are laughing at Tamaki, who's rapidly gulping the lassi, probably since he couldn't handle the spice, wimp.

"Change in routine is always great, right Suma-chan?" I turn to see Honey-senpai, who's smiling at all the laughter and whining (really, just Tamaki). I see Elina enter the door, hair damp from swim practice, probably looking for me, and notice the food and drinks. She eventually realizes that Kyouya has one of the last servings of peanuts and launches for it, startling him. She takes the bowl out of his hands and steals a bite, when she notices his look of utter surprise. She get this devilish look and uses the same spoon to heap a big spoonful into his gaping mouth. She laughs at his look of annoyance and tries to calm him down when he starts to get this black aura around him.

I snort in amusement. "Yep, it sure is."

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I'm getting the dinner place-mats set up while Elina get the last of dinner's preparations done, as K-pop plays in the background. If it weren't for Elina, I wouldn't have gotten obsessed with K-pop, and I'm pretty sure my life would've been a little less chaotic. Oh well.

I rushed to get the door at the sound of the doorbell. We had invited Ranka-san and Haruhi over for dinner today to celebrate surviving in Japan for a week. "Welcome to our humble abode, which probably has the same layout as yours, so make yourselves comfortable at the table~" Ranka-san squealed and pinched my cheeks, complimenting my manners.

We eventually got through dinner with pleasant conversations about school and work and our better days. Ranka-san had to leave early because he had a shift early the next morning. We also let Haruhi go with the condition that she go out with us tomorrow since it was Saturday. I have a feeling that it'll be quite a day tomorrow.

But for now, Elina and I plan to pull a Harry Potter marathon till 4 in the morning.

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I flinch awake at the sudden thumping from outside and blearily look at the clock next to my bed. Seven in the fucking morning. Those fuckers outside better have a reason for waking me up with only 3 hours of sleep. I blindly grab for my glasses and drag my feet towards the door. Elina's door is still closed, so she's still sleeping like the dead. Lucky bitch.

I slam the door open. "WHAT?"

And there stood the fucking Host Club. I looked down at myself to figure out why they just stood there, staring at me. I wearing pants, so it must be the bedhead. Well, I'm too tired to give a shit. Even Kyouya looks like he'd been dragged out of a sewer with his crazy bedhead. I lean against the door to keep my balance. Suma with less than 5 hours of sleep is a danger to others and herself. Damnit, I'm going into third person, I need more sleep.

Tamaki breaks the silence, "You're Haruhi's neighbor?" I roll my eyes and nod, unwilling to use more energy than needed.

"Haruhi won't take us to the mall to experience commoner culture. WHY HARUHI,WHY?" She and I groan as his screeching voice.

I nod again, pointing at myself, "Plans." The twins and Tamaki frown, "WHY?" I wave my hand around vaguely, causing them to pout. Haruhi gets fed up with the situation.

"Oh, just go home already! Kyouya senpai looks like he's going to kill you." Kyouya's getting that intense black aura, and even I'm a little frightened. But, maybe it's low blood pressure...

He storms off muttering, "_You fucking idiots._ Have nothing better to do than waste my time. Slept at 5 in the fucking morning." Ahh, he's in the less than 5-hours-of-sleep boat, too. Tamaki wails and gets dragged off by the twins, who look annoyed that they wouldn't be able to mess around with their favorite toy.

Now, that just leaves the seniors and Haruhi. Might as well invite the three of them in.

I wave them in and close the door. I point at myself, "Need sleep." I turn around to take a step and fall flat on my face. I just groan while Haruhi and Honey-senpai fret over me. I sense someone moving towards me, "Leave me." But Mori-senpai picks me up and asks, "Where?"

I pathetically throw my arms around his neck at the sudden movement and use my head to point out the right door. Soon enough, he lays me on my bed and I squeeze his hand in silent thanks. He simply nods as I fall back asleep. Strange, he looks a bit flushed and red...Hmm, too tired to think...

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I end up waking around noon, and grab my towel on the way to the bathroom, eager to shower the grogginess away. I walk into the kitchen in leggings, a loose tank, and a towel wrapped around my head. To my surprise, Haruhi's in the kitchen eating a sandwich and doing some homework, with no sign of the seniors.

"Oh good, you're awake then. I made some sandwiches for you and Elina-senpai."

"Haruhi," I whine, "_Please_, drop the honorifics." She sighs in acquiescence. I help myself to two of the sandwiches, leaving the last two for Elina, for whenever she decides to come back to the realm of the living. I get through one sandwich, which is delicious I must say, and am helping Haruhi with some pesky quadratics when a scream reverberates through the walls. I drop the food on a nearby plate and rush towards Elina's room to find her in hysterics and tears.

"Elina. Elina." She's still panicking, probably a nightmare. The thought makes me frown. "ELINA!" She flinches and finally notices me kneeling next to her bed. She's still crying.

"It was them again. That night happened all over again but I couldn't do anything. I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING! I couldn't stop Kek from-" She breaks down further and blubbers. "Then I couldn't stop your bleeding when Keket got to you, and you just lay there, like you were DEAD!"

"But I'm here in front of you. I'M SAFE. YOU'RE SAFE." She finally snaps out of it and I sigh in relief. I don't blame her. I whisper quietly. "We're safe."

Haruhi burst into the room, followed by a worried Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai. Haruhi was ready to explode.

"What happened? I heard a scream and shouting! Are you both okay?"

"Takashi and I came back from the bakery and heard a scream. Are you hurt?"

"It was just a nightmare." No need to get into details.

Elina gulps the last of her hiccups and looks at Haruhi. "I believe now's the time to tell you."

I whip my head towards her. "Are you sure? We haven't even told our parents everything!" She nods.

"Elina, it might only get more complicated if what Kyouya told us becomes public soon."

"It'll do us some good to let it all out."

"But-" She cuts me off with a shake of her head. Fine.

Mori-senpai frowns at us, with a look serious enough to get us to talk. I muster up some courage and start.

"My dad and Elina's mom work for a research lab and started a project around two years ago. This specific project was pursuing the perfection of gene therapy."

Haruhi butts in, "What's that?" I flounder at that. Elina and I were more in tune with the testing and data, rather than the theory behind it. Elina attempts to explain.

"Gene therapy is basically gene modification. It changes the DNA sequence to treat genetic diseases like cancer and sometimes even hereditary genetic diseases, if done on germ-line cells."

"But, tampering with genes always brings out unexpected side effects. The problem with that is, well, you might solve one problem and end up with another. They were making good progress, and the frequency of experiments increased."

"Their boss, Mr. Gifre, caught wind of their experiments and decided to use it to further his own goals. He forced our parents to publish reports, so that the research firm would gain world-wide attention. Mom explained that they had published reports that were so vague that they were almost useless. With great power comes great responsibility or something like that."

"What Elina meant is that if genetic modifying becomes perfect, it could be extremely dangerous in the hands of the wrong people. Dad was worried something that if they were successful in developing a technique to properly introduce a gene into a cell, permanently, people would just use the tech for genetic enhancements and it'd be abused."

"When Mr. Gifre started spewing fire and bullshit about how if his company got picked up by a giant in the industry, he'd be even more successful and rich, our parents decided that it would be more safe to work independently. They had more than enough money to set up a personal lab and safely continue their research, while declining all the shady offers from Russia, Germany, and so on."

Honey-senpai put his two cents in, "How come it was only your parents that were being sought after? Wouldn't there be numerous other individuals making similar progress?" He's definitely smarter than I thought.

"Senpai, the thing is that manipulating genes without damaging them irreversibly is beyond difficult. To my knowledge, they'd developed a technique that apparently was effective enough to put them decades ahead of the competition. And that was from all the vague reports they did. We don't even know what it is. Who knows what actual progress they've actually made?"

"They only let us work with them last summer, and only with data. That was after hours of literal begging and swearing. They were scared for our safety, and kept all the details in password-locked servers and such. They didn't want people coming after us for info and we also figured that they would do anything for us. They didn't want to be put in a position to have to choose between us and their work. I don't blame them, really."

"Nightmares." Mori reminded us. That _was_ the reason for the start of the conversation.

"That same summer, we became friends with a set of Middle-Eastern twins, new to town, Kek and Keket Khan. We literally became best friends in a month or so. It seemed like we were meant to be a Quartet. And eventually Elina started dating Kek, and everything seemed to be going smoothly for us. Well, until I accidently made a sarcastic comment about our parents' working hours at the lab and we were overworked. The way they viciously grabbed onto that should've been a clue. It was the stupidest thing I've ever done." Elina grabs my hand in a show of support with a weak smile.

"You're not alone in that sentiment. We made a stand against the twins, vehemently denying their requests to be given a tour of a lab. And that's when everthing went to shit. Kek started getting more abusive in our relationship and starting playing on my insecurities. I took it for something else then, but I now know it to be underhanded manipulation. If I was weak, then I would easily succumb to his demands. Suma had warned me then to break it off, but I was stuborn-it was my first relationship, and I wanted it to work. He got better eventually, and we both reluctantly went to their house to celebrate Suma's 16th birthday, thinking that it would be like the olden times. What a mistake. It was fine for the Kek managed to bring me alone into his room and-"

She falters with a teary gasp, so I take up the narration.

"I was being distracted by Keket, who was frosting the cake with a knife in the kitchen, and when I tried to run at the noises and cries upstairs, she kicked me down and started hissing about how I thought I was so perfect, and wouldn't do shit for them. Apparently since they thought I was the stronger one, they had planned to break Elina down to get to me, so that we'd give them info. I screamed in pain as she stabbed me in the stomach to immobilize me, and Keket laughed and mocked me for not realizing that they after my parents' research all along. Of course then I understood. I never connected their last names to Khan Industries, who had been agressively pursuing our parents for records of their work and results. Of course. They would've used their kids to get to us to get that accomplished.

"I eventually kicked her shin while she was monologuing and thank God her head smashed against the counter. She was knocked out and I could drag myself up the stairs with the knife still in. I slamed the door open to find Kek on top of a crying Elina, while whispering about his plans to debauch her. I just froze in horror and I couldn't do anything."

Honey-senpai's developing this black aura, and Mori-senpai's not far off.

Elina manages to gather her herself, enough to continue, "Kek was distracted enough by Suma's entrance so that I could throw him off. I attacked Kek with all my pent up rage and frustration and punched his face repeatedly. Suma had to stop me when he eventually passed out from a broken nose and jaw. I didn't notice the knife until I felt the blood gushing out and almost fainted at the sight. I had to call the police, and Suma had to get internal suturing and stiches, with a month of meds and therapy. We eventually got a restraining order against the twins with the insistence of our parents, but we haven't seen them ever since then."

"As far as we know now, our parents have suspended all experiments at the end of that summer because the attention became too much, and the risk became too high. They've moved back to developing better medicines to treat cancer. So, none have to worry about being targeted anytime soon. Anyway, we eventually went back to school, but we knew we couldn't just keep up appearances. Suma and I wanted change, so we signed up for this exchange program for Ouran as soon as we could to start in the new term. But I think we were a week late, after the whole Dance Party stuff from what Haruhi's told us."

I manage a faint laugh, "We've always wanted to come to Japan, so it was a win-win situation. Our parents refused to even think about it and eventually we broke through with our list of pros, especially the whole colleges-will-love-that-you-do-such-cool-things. But yesterday, when Kyouya wanted to talk with us after Host Club, we found out the real reason why. He just found out that his father, Ootori-san, was apparently in the process of negotiating an overseas deal with our parents. Our parents wanted us to be safe, and used that as one of the stipulations. That's why we were allowed to come to Japan, so that they could keep an eye on us. But that also means that they've probably started the experiments again."

"And we finally figured out who was following us around the whole time we've been here-"

Mori-senpai doesn't look so composed anymore. I reach out for his shoulders and look him in the eye. "He was an Ootori guard that was hired to watch us." He sighs and relaxes. I let go with a nervous laugh.

That was such a major emotional dump. We've never told anyone all of the story, and Kyouya only knows the necessary details. Elina starts fidgeting at the prolonged silence. "Guys, if you don't want to be around us now that-"

Honey senpai lauches at us and grabs the both of us in a crushing hug. He's so serious, it scares me, "I'm sorry that you both had to go through all of that." Haruhi joins while she's crying like hell. "I-I'm so glad you're okay." Mori gave me a smile at my mock exasperation and pats my head, "Don't worry about us."

"That's right Suma-chan! We'll keep you safe from now on! Not a word out of us about this, I pinky-swear!" I grin at all of them as Elina laughs hysterically. We're also bawling like hell at their show of affection and support. What a combo, seriously.

We all take a half-hour or so just hugging it out before we break apart and smile at the rest of them.

"Phew, that's off of our chests now, right Su-su! You know what we need now?" I snort at that, blinking away my misty eyes.

I tease her. "Hmm, food?"

"Obviously. But also..." I sigh at her, rolling my eyes. She answers it herself.

"A Shameless Saturday!" Oh fuck. She's got to be kidding.

Haruhi's recovered by then, "What that?" I just groan.

"Ugh, it's when we put on crazy outfits and do crazy, reckless things in public. Alright Elina, let's get some food in you before we bury our dignity in public."

Honey-senpai grins innocently, "We left the cakes on the counter. Takashi and I have to pay Kyo-chan a visit. Enjoy~" I shoot them a knowing glare as I see them out. Those three better not get TOO overprotective after knowing all the details. We like our space, too.

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Haruhi's POV

I'm not stupid when it comes to feeling and emotions. I guess I'm just oblivious when they concern me. But in this case, I could definitely see what's going on.

Suma sen-(ugh, it's going to take a while to get used to it) Suma and Elina have been through experiences that would scar anyone else and make them recluses. But, they've developed hard enough exteriors to put up with the outside world and make the most of it. And now, after revealing their innermost secrets, at least when it comes to their pasts, that exterior is extremely thin. They're only running on emotions right now. I think it'd be called being high on emotions. Heh.

And I think a "Shameless Saturday" is they way they harden themselves up while being free.

And I think I'm going to regret coming with them to the mall, it was weird enough last time. Well, SOMEONE needs to make sure they don't make the headlines tomorrow.

Damn it, even though I probably won't do everything they do... I don't think I'll survive.

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Kyouya's POV

Only a month here, and already, so much shit has surfaced. Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai have finished laying out all the details, and I can't do anything but pace across the room. Khan Industries is a pain in the ass for Ootori Medical. They've consistently trying to partner with us, but Father has seen no merit in doing so. So when he had someone investigate their pursuits, he found about the duo who were possibly making break-throughs in genetic modification secretly, Suma's father and Elina's mother. Father took the initiative to contact them and make a deal with them: their partnership with Ootori Medical in exchange for their older children's safety. And of course, he wasted no time in telling me it would be of merit to get close to them (hinting at fucking marriage, obviously). To be honest, Suma's too much like myself, and we probably grate on each other before long, and Elina's way too honest and straightforward. But she's too interesting to ignore, and the whole peanut incident-STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS.

So, when Senpai tells me that there's more to the story, what the hell am I supposed to think? Both of the girls apparently worked as interns of a sort while their parents experimented and such. They're going to be gone after as much as their parents. Those Khan twins have disappeared for a while, but they can come back at anytime, now that the experiments have started again. This is troublesome.

I turn to the worried seniors and sigh, "As an Ootori, I have to protect them since they're important to our partners. I've contacted our elite squad and assigned two more guards to them. They'll have to be under deep cover since the girls already know the one they have as of now. Oh, and Tamaki, you and the twins can come in." Those idiots have been listening the entire time, and they thought I wouldn't know. Pfft.

The three stumble in and Tamaki bursts into tears, while the twins hang their heads at the glares. Honestly I don't know how Tamaki hasn't died of dehydration from all the crying he does.

Mori-senpai gives them a disapproving glare, "You should be ashamed."

"Tama-chan, you should really stop trying to listen into conversations."

And he literally ignores them and jumps on me. "Kyouya, they're such innocent girls. WE HAVE TO PROTECT THEM NO MATTER WHAT!" I throw him off me and glance at Hunny-senpai's giggle.

He puts his phone away. "Looks like they're both at the mall with Haruhi, and Elina-chan said to not worry if we see them doing something weird or awkward." Even Mori-senpai grins at that.

He reminds Hunny-senpai, "It's a Shameless Saturday."

What?

The twins latch onto that, "Let's go to the mall, that sounds like fun~"

"And we can check up on them. They must still be a little upset from letting all that rough history out." Tamaki brightens up and leads the way out of my house to go to the mall.

What am I not surprised?

Sigh, seems like we're becoming more and more attached and involved with the girls. There's merit, that's for sure. But other than that...

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Suma's POV

We enter the mall around 2 in the afternoon, and order lunch in the busy cafeteria, using that time to explain what goes on on a Shameless Saturday.

Elina takes a long sip of her iced tea, "Okay, first thing is fueling up, which we're doing now. Second thing, we all get a ridiculous outfit, but we stick with a theme. Until then we do the randomest things in mind with absolutely no brain filter. Since it's your first time, you can just observe and join in whenever."

Haruhi snorts in amusement, "So it's a normal day for you both." I pout at the jab, and Elina gives her a wicked smile.

"Reaaaally? So, you shouldn't be thrown off if I ask which two people from the Host Club you'd have a threesome with?" Unfortunately for Haruhi, she'd been taking a sip of soda. I laugh hysterically as Haruhi gives a spit-take and weakly gasps, "PASS."

I decide to make her more uncomfortable, "Elina, why don't you go first."

"Probably Kyouya and Hikaru." Hmmm, maybe she does like Kyouya...  
"Then, I'll go with Kaoru and Mori-senpai." We both share a knowing smirk. Guess we both have our suspicions.  
Elina decides to embarrass Haruhi further for underestimating us.

"So, I guess that leaves Haruhi with Tamaki and Hunny-senpai. Su-su, I never figured Haruhi to be into blondes."

Poor Haruhi, she's been a violent red for the entire conversation and before I could change the topic, a pair of boys our age come up to our table.

The shorter blonde one asks, "Do you mind if we sit here? It's pretty packed in here." Ah, might as well.  
"Sure, why not?" They settle in and notice Haruhi's even darker face and Elina's smirking one.

The redhead grins, "Were we interrupting something?" Elina enacts that no-brain filter.

"We were talking about threesomes with blondes, and Haruhi couldn't handle it. Any thoughts?" His answer will determine our friendship.

The blonde laughs, "Why stop at three?" I freeze and break out in hysterical laughter, catching the attention of other people nearby. We're going to get along splendidly.

I calm down quickly and smile at them, "If you've got nothing to do today, why don't you hang with us?" The boys share a glance and eagerly nod.

Elina just has to ask, "You guys are gay aren't you?"

At their confused shakes of their heads, I have to explain, "Ne, it's just that whenever we find guys that are attractive and funny, they end up either taken or being gay. It's actually kind of ridiculous how many times it's happened."

The redhead winks at me, "Well, you girls don't have to worry about that with us."

And our quintet goes off to start out Shameless Saturday. Our first stop is the craziest clothing store we can find. We all split up to look for our crazy outfit for the day, when Kris, the blonde one, calls out for us.

He's found the onesies.

Oh fucking hell.

Elina and I throw ourselves at our favored ones; I grab the owl one and she latches onto the unicorn one. I'm not even going to question its existence as a onesie.

Kris, and Suho, the redhead, decide to join us in burying our dignity, those pure and lovely souls, and end up getting the fox and dinosaur onesies. After a half hour of begging, Haruhi lets us buy her a lemur one.

And now we're parading and skipping and frolicking around the mall in our newly bought onesies, with absolutely no fucks left to give. Sigh, that's a great feeling.

Elina, the expert that she is in finding ridiculous things to do, find the dance station. It's the place where they usually have a new dance game for trial for the public, but like no one plays it since it means dancing awkwardly in public...yea, that. And just like that it's been decided that that'd be our main event of the day, in a sense.

Haruhi looks ready to bolt when Kris drags her off to start the 'event' with Just Dance...some techno song, Da Funk, I think. As we watch Haruhi and Kris get through the song, I notice that Haruhi's stiff demeanor in weird situations is perfect for the pop-and-lock type of dances. Oh the irony. Haruhi's actually good at something when she's uncomfortable.

Elina, Suho, and I go up next to a Kesha song, We R Who We R, and it's fucking beautiful. We're literally going all out with no fear of being judged. The five or rather four if you count Haruhi's groan as a no, agree to a contest. We'll all do a couple of pair and quartet dances and winner gets a favor from the rest of us. And so it began.

Elina and I conquer Get Lucky and Hot for Me, to the delight of the boys, while Kris and Suho take over Beautiful Liar and Pump It, with our catcalls echoing behind them. Haruhi sticks with being the referee and point recorder for each person. We continue with the group dances to That Power, managing to get Haruhi to do that one since it's more her style of dancing, and before our finale, Haruhi volunteers to get some snacks and drinks for us while we take a break. It's no surprise that we've managed to get a small crowd watching from the sidelines. Ohhh, Tumblr going to blow up with gifs of and owl, unicorn, fox, lemur, and dinosaur dancing ridiculously.

It's great to let go like this every once in a while.

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Haruhi's POV

I'm standing in line for drinks when I feel two pairs of arms wrap around me. Of course. When have I gone out without the Host Club showing up? Never.

Tamaki senpai's not far behind, "MY LOVELY DAUGHTER, HOW ARE YOU? HOW ARE YOUR SISTERS? ARE YOU ALL OK? AHHHHHH, YOU LOOK SO CUTE IN THAT ONESIE!" And there he goes.

Mori grabs some cups from my hands just before they fall, and I carry two, walking back towards the dance station/central thing. I can't believe I actually took part in that and if the enthusiasm of the others is well-deserved, then I'm actually good at some of them. Heh.

"Ne, Haru-chan why do you have a onesie on in the first place?"

Kaoru's also curious, "And why did you buy five sodas? Aren't there just three of you?

I huff, and brace myself for their reactions, "Well, once Kris found the onesies, Elina and Suma bought one with the boys, and I was dragged into it as a part of Shameless Saturday. And for the drinks, we're hanging out with two boys we met today, Kris and Suho, both attractive if I must say." Oh shit, the no-brain filter is getting to me, too.

Tamaki-senpai and Hikaru lash out, "EEEHHHHHH?"

Kyouya-senpai gets this weird glint in his eyes, "Do you even know who they were before readily 'hanging out' with them?"

"HARUHI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH BOYS? IT'S NOT SAFE!"

"MY DEAR DAUGHTER HAS BEEN CORRUPTED WITH THE EVIL BEAUTY OF STRANGERS!"

Yeesh, over-reactive much?

I notice Mori frowning while Hunny-senpai pats his head from his spot on his shoulders.

We come back to see the four of them engaging in a photo session in the most ridiculous poses, when they take notice of the drinks. Suma takes one of the three that Mori-senpai is holding and smiles at him, erasing his frown. Hmmmm, the whole threesome conversation might have some truth in it.

The four of them get ready to start their last dance, Time Warp, and Hunny-senpai turns to me.

"Haru-_chan_, what are you thinking about?" It's not everyday I can throw them off.

"Threesomes." And let all those faces turn scarlet red. That feels so good; no wonder Suma and Elina do that so often.

While Tamaki-senpai wails about my loss of innocence, the rest gape at the four dancing, giving it their all. Even Mori cracked a grin at the overly done pelvic thrusts and partner dancing.

And after all the counting, Kris and Suho both end up in first place, and as agreed to by the rest of us (I was extremely reluctant and I still am), they take a minute to decide their favors, one for each.

Kris starts off with an impish grin, "We've decided to save one favor for later."

And Suho literally smirks like the devil, "And for the second one, we both want a kiss from each of you."

Shitshitshitshitshit.

Before anyone could protest, they peck each of us on the lips and start to head out while waving back at us. The three of us burst out laughing at the whole situation. Tamaki-senpai and the wonder twins start whinging about their audacity, while Mori-senpai and Kyouya-senpai glare at the boys' backs as they walked away laughing. Honey-senpai just shared a knowing look with me and giggles.

All was well, for now.

* * *

Ahhh, the sweet taste of finishing a chapter. Thanks to all of you who's put this story on alert, and reviewed (it's only been one person so far guys, it can literally just be "good job"). School starts REALLY soon, like FUCK YOU REALITY. But yea, what can we do? So, worst case scenario, no chapter for a week or so.

Oh, btw, you can look up Just Dance vids for all the songs mentioned. It's actually a fun game, but it brings out the ugly competitiveness out of me.

Thanks y'all!

AND REVIEW DAMNIT! I need to know if the story logic makes sense so far.

Love ya~


	4. Chapter 4

Let me just say: Thank God for Jewish holidays. I have had literally no time to breathe with effing school, and this has become my stress reliever. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed/favorited/followed. I LOVE YOU GUYS.

Also, this chapter includes tramautic flashbacks/panic attacks. So, if that's a trigger in any way/shape/form, please be aware.

* * *

Chapter 4 - Elina's POV

As soon as I'm done with swim practice and toweling my hair, this guy comes out of nowhere with questions enough to piss off the biggest pacifist. I'm ready to rip his head off.

"Would you like to comment on your late arrival to the semester? Something happen? Any reason why you're one of the two girls on the Swim Team? Did you have to _work _your way in? How about that friend of yours, Karunya? How did she become captain of the Math Olympiad in less than a month? Oh, are you guys _special_ friends or something?"

Oh, he has the _nerve_... "_Look._ I don't really know who you are-"

"Oh, forgive me. I'm Komatsuzawa Akira of class 3-D and president of the Newspaper Club."

OH. The school's resident gossip trash. "Um, I-"

"Please. Call me Akira." He gives me a sleazy wink. I think an angel somewhere just had his wings torn off. Ugh, it's horrific.

"I have to be going somewhere and-"

"All of that is private information we wouldn't care to share." PRAISE GOD, SUMA'S HERE. Took her long enough.

He starts to stutter, the idiot. "Erm, j-j-just asking friendly questions...to g-g-get to know the new students better, ri-right?" Pft, yea right.

Suma glares at him until he scurries off with a weak, muttered excuse. It definitely pays to have a tall, imposing friend.

"Elina, who the hell was that?"

"Oh, that's the Newspaper Club president."

"He's in charge of the bullshit they call news?"

"Apparently. Anyway, shouldn't Haruhi be done with Host Club by now? It's already pretty late."

Suma's still frowning at the retreating asshole, while I drag her towards the Third Music Room. I hesitate in opening the door when I hear a ruckus inside, but Suma pushes the door open anyway.

I groan at the sight. Tamaki's enthusiastically explaining some plan in front of a whiteboard. Operation Conceal Haruhi's Gender. This does not bode well.

Suma scrunches up her face, "Is this because of the physical examinations tomorrow?"

"Hmmm, forgot about those... Probably. You think you can get a private examination because of your scarring and stuff¾"

"HARUHI, we'll give you a month's supply of ootoro if you go with the plan~" The frigging idiot. That's not going to work with someone like Haruhi.

"Fine." WELL THEN. You can't take anyone at face value these days.

Suma walks towards Kyouya, probably to ask about getting a private examination, you know, since his family is in charge of the biggest medical company on this side of the world... and well, he's a manipulative bastard who can help.

Anyway, I've got to take care of something a bit more important. "HARUHI, YOU FRIGGIN' IDIOT, YOU CAN'T FALL FOR STUPID FOOD-BASED PLOYS SO EASILY!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

How are these guys _so ripped_? I mean, only Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai take part in martial arts, but the REST? Honestly, life is so unfair. I feel like a creeper for appreciating the twins and Tamaki half-naked, and speaking of the other Host Club members...

And then Kyouya notices me staring at his chest (it wasn't intentional, jeez), while I was zoning out on the possibilities. DAMN IT.

"Elina...Are you all right?" The bastard's smirking at my immediate blush. WHYWHYWHY?

I huff and turn to see Tamaki's plan fall apart when the girls recognize him. And this kid is second in our class. Seriously, what did he expect with the difference in height and eye color. A FOR ABYSMAL PLANNING.

Well, Suma's laughing her ass off as she drags Haruhi with her to the private examination that Kyouya _just_ decided to inform them about. Figures.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Suma's POV

The doctor leaves my room to get something, with directions to undress. Just as I finish unbuttoning my shirt, I catch a glimpse of myself in a tall mirror across the room. I drag my fingertips across the raised edges of my healing stab wounds. It's been months, but I still have to put ointment every other day over the overlapping Xs to make sure they won't scar as much. Keket had a thing for knives and symmetry and irony-

_She grins maliciously over me with a bloody serrated butcher knife, and I zone in on the blue frosting on the tip of the blade. Oh, the irony. While some get birthday bumps, I got stabs. Sixteen of them, of course. STAB. Stab. stab._

I flinch at a muffled thump and gasp from the room next door. I'm gasping for breath and struggle to remain calm. Wait, something's wrong.

_Haruhi._

Without thinking any further, I rush out to the sectioned area next to mine and slam the door open to find an older man in a dirty lab coat with his hands over her mouth. What the fu-

And then I find those hands over my mouth. SHITSHITSHIT. His panicked face comes extremely close to whisper frantically about being lost and a daughter-

And his face is replaced by a fist.

My eyes travel the length of the arm- "Mori-senpai?" His blazing eyes simmer when he looks at me. Thank god. He's awfully scary when he's pissed.

"Suma, are you okay?"

"Heh, yea. Just a bit startled, nothing to worry about Mori-senpai!" Well, he doesn't look too convinced. Ugh, damn his intuition. Haruhi still looks shocked even as the twins and Tamaki fuss over her. This entire situation just hit too close to home. I just...I can't..._not again, never again_.

Time to run damage control.

"Anyway, where did the old guy go?" Mori glances at the other end of the room, and I whip my head around to see a unconscious man slumping on the floor. Really, I'm impressed, but seriously?

"From what I can tell, he was looking for his daughter. I'm sure you guys can help him out when he comes to." I wait for Kyouya's nod before I make my way towards the door.

_My eyes swing in a pendulum motion, following the movement of the knife. Stab, stab, stab._

I feel a sharp tug on my sleeve to see Hunny looking at my stomach. "I thought it was one stab wound." It wasn't.

I rush to button up my shirt and sigh at Hunny's questioning look. I grimace at my attempt to laugh. "What can I say? Keket liked her knives and well, she got creative." I shake off the hand on my shoulder and rudely brush past Kyouya. There are wounds that I'll willingly let fester.

I ignore the calls from the rest of the Host Club.

_Stab. You think you're so great. Stab._

Emotions are such a bother.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Mori's POV

Where could she be? How couldn't I have noticed her fragile state? I've everywhere-the gardens. I'm running through the maze when I finally find her, on the floor and leaning against a tree.

I step closer to her to see tears sliding her face, and her eyes open when I stop to stand in front of her.

"Suma." She nervously shifts her red, swollen eyes. I slowly drop to my knees to catch her gaze properly.

"Are you okay?" She begins to nod but changes it to a reluctant shake.

"It's okay not to be okay." She curls into herself and shakes. Everyone deals with their inner demons differently, and I can only be there to support her silently. That is what I do best.

And that's what she'll get from me.

I gently bring her towards me and wrap my arms around her shaking body. I whisper a nursery rhyme my mother used to sing to me after bad nightmares.

Shabon-dama tonda, yanemade tonda,

Yanemade tonde, kowarete kieta

Shabon-dama kieta, tobazuni kieta

Umarete suguni, kowarete kieta

Kaze kaze fukuna, shabon-dama tobaso*

Her tremors fade away as I rub circles into her back, and we stay like that until Elina bursts through the bushes and catches sight of us. I look down to see that Suma fell asleep on my chest, and Elina sighs and grins in relief at the sight of Suma's smushed face and crooked glasses.

"Hey Mori-senpai?" I turn to face her. "Thanks for being there for her when I couldn't be." I give her a faint smile and nod.

"Always."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Elina's POV

To do or not to do.

To risk my life or not.

...

Fuck it. I'm going to do it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"ELINA, WHAT THE FUCKING HELL? I UNDERSTAND IT IF YOU PLAY YOUR MUSIC, BUT SERIOUSLY? 'ANACONDA' WAS ON FUCKING REPEAT FOR THE PAST TWO HOURS!"

She doesn't understand...I HAD to. Otherwise, she would do what I want to ask of her. I can only listen to Nicki Minaj for so long. It was a sacrifice on my part, too...

"So what, Su-su?"

"DAMN IT, TURN IT OFF ALREADY!"

"For what?"

Utter silence. Then, my door slams open.

"What do you want, Elina?"

HEHEHE, works every time. Best to get it all out at once.

"CanyoupleasemakesomethingforthehostclublikecupcakesOHhowaboutthoseredvelvetoneswiththecreamcheesefrostingthey'llLOVEthem!"**

She looks like someone slapped her with a smelly fish. And then she finally processes all of it.

"...why cupcakes?" Oh jeez, she just had to ask.

"Well...IkindawantedtohelpmakesomethingforthemforbeingsoniceespeciallyMori-senpaibecausehehelpedyouwhenyouhadyourbreakdownwouldn'tthatbenice?"***

"You know I already thanked Mori-senpai like a week ago? Really, why?"

"WAIT, how did that go? Was there any dramatic confessions or GASP a kiss?"

She just stares at me with that Who-the-fuck-do-you-think-you're-kidding-with-that-horrible-diversion look.

"FINEit'sbecauseKyouyawastalkingshitabouthowthere'snomeritinhomemadegoodsandthey'dtastehorribleiftheyweren'tmadebyexperts. Iwannaprovehimwrong. Okay?"****

"Well, you could've just said so. I'm always in to make Kyouya eat shit. He has no idea who he's dealing with."

I launch myself at Suma, "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

"BUT, we have practically no time now. We'll just do it at the end of the week, and it'll be a Friday anyway."

I can almost taste the glory-it smells of red-velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

* * *

*This is a kid's song in Japan, 'Shabondama, Soap Bubbles.'

Translation:

Up flew the soap bubbles

And over roofs they flew.

They flew up, high above

And they all burst.

The soap bubbles vanished,

Vanished without flying.

As soon as they were made

They burst and soon vanished.

Wind, wind do not blow,

Let the bubbles fly up and away.

**Can you please make something for the host club like cupcakes OH how about those red velvet ones with the cream cheese frosting they'll LOVE them!

***Well...I kinda wanted to help make something for them for being so nice especially Mori-senpai because he helped you when you had your breakdown wouldn't that be nice?

****FINE it's because Kyouya was talking shit about how there's no merit in homemade goods and they'd taste horrible if they weren't made by experts. I wanna prove him wrong. Okay?

And btw guys, I really want to know which parts of the Ouran (anime) I should write out with Elina and Suma. Like, should I skip some of the episodes, or go through them all? Cuz, eventually, our beloved Suma's and Elina's own plotline will have to make its way into the fic. Really, I'm okay with anything, so I need feedback, really!

THROW YOUR WISDOM AT ME! And tell me if you want certain story arcs to be written out.

Thanks everyone!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - Haruhi's POV**

I gently run my fingers over the expensive cloth; this kimono's probably worth more than my apartment, ugh, filthy rich idiots. Why the hell do we need to spend so much money? I look up towards the doors when I hear them slam open to a wonderful smell...What-

"Cupcakes, Haruhi, cupcakes." I swear to God, Suma can read minds. At that, Elina takes one up to Kyouya and places it on top of his closed laptop.

"Taste that, and THEN tell me that homemade cooking by amateurs is shit."

Strange how Elina gets so worked up whenever Kyouya-senpai's involved. Suma and I share an understanding look; I guess we both suspect what's going on between them. Suma handles the distribution to the rest of us, before making her way to the door with a half-hearted wave. "Bye guys! I'll be back later to get the trays!"

Elina finally concludes her one-sided gloating session with Kyouya-senpai before leaving just as abruptly with mutters about swimming trials and murderous captains. Probably best not to ask.

I catch Kyouya's smirk as he peels off the wrapper... he definitely planned this.

I mutter to myself, "Manipulative bastard."

"What was that Haruhi?"

Shit. "NOTHING."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Suma's POV

They say you'll love the things you're best at. The only evidence necessary to run that saying six feet under: fucking math. It's really a love-hate relationship. I love that it comes so easily to me, but I hate its existence...no biggie.

I just wanted to be in the club and get by with participation in the tournaments, but THIS happens. Apparently all the members take a test, and the one with the highest 2 scores become co-captains of the team. Guess who beat the 3rd place kid by one point. Yup, this girl.

To be honest, I don't mind it much. Kou Daichi, a 3rd year, takes care of all the lordly duties, while I help and train the younger members once or twice a week. I first tried to break the ice between us with a joke about how he had it easy, being homosexual and not having to deal with annoying women (what the fuck was I thinking, using that as a FREAKING ICE BREAKER, IDIOT), and he ended up on the floor laughing hysterically. Chi-chan (don't even get me started on that)... let's just say that he's rapidly becoming the gay friend I've always wanted. Apparently, everyone in school never noticed that he didn't like girls... I'm still confused how someone could miss that.

Well...they are the same people who think Haruhi is a boy, so I shouldn't be surprised.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Elina's POV

I lay face down next to the pool, struggling to catch my breath from the intense trials and practice laps we just did. Fucking swimming. Why did I think joining the Swim Team was a good idea?

I feel a foot nudging me. "Eh, Elina, still alive?" I groan in misery.

"Fuck you Katsu. Did you have to try to kill us today?" I hear him chortle.

"It's my solemn duty as Captain Katsu Rin of the Swim Team-"

"Shut it."

"Well, good news though, we don't have practice for a week-"

I suddenly find the energy to get up and hug Katsu, "THANKYOU- wait. _Why?_"

"Whoa, no need for the paranoia. I just have some commitments this week that I can't avoid and-"

A family thing? A girlfriend? A stalker? Way to be vague Katsu-senpai.

"Ugh, whatever you say. I'm off~"

I grab some sweats to change into and go to the showers. Hmmm, maybe there's some cupcakes left over...hmm, nah, Kyouya-senpai probably sold the rest of them or something-evil, but efficient.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I open the door to a strange sight. Kyouya's forcibly smiling and talking with some pretty brunette chick on the sofa, and the rest are in silent shock. I thought hosting was over by now.

"Of course, dear Kyouya and I are engaged!"

What the fu-

Suma frantically waves at me from across the room, she's taken up a corner sofa, curled up around her laptop with homework spread all around her. I plop down next to her as she readjusts herself.

"The new girl's a transfer from France. Looks like one of those crazy otaku. Probably thinks Kyouya _is_ one of those stereotypical dating simulation characters."

"Wait, how do you know all of this?"

"Give me a sec." She listens to the girl yapping away across the room.

"She just said that he loved spring and bunnies, and proposed to her during a midnight picnic under the stars." I grimace at that. Suma's probably right, once again. Lord almighty, the type of shit that goes on here continues to amaze me.

"We should give her a chance. Maybe, it's just a phase... I mean, didn't we spend like a month obsessing over Hatoful Boyfriend?"

Su-su opens her mouth to protest and then sighs instead. "True, _but-"_

"NO, no judging Suma. She's probably a really sweet, misunderstood person." Who knows, maybe a little more feminine influence could help the club...

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I groan as Suma laughs at me.

"Such a sweet, misunderstood person, isn't she, Elina?"

I wearily watch the otaku, sorry- _Renge_, chasing Hunny-senpai around the room like an enraged Medusa. I mean, all he did was say that her Hey-I'm-Officially-Your-Lady-Manager cookies were a bit burnt. Why do I ever doubt Suma? Note to self: don't.

I wince at Renge's hissing, and shoot Suma a look. She's got that stupid shit-eating grin.

"FINE, you were right. You and your intuitive first impressions, damn it."

We both had staked out some comfy sofas in the back of the room, so that we could wait for Haruhi to finish up and walk home together. It's actually become a daily routine; we'd be completely unproductive, catching up on shows and playing games. And today, it's my turn to decided the agenda. I couldn't help but give an evil laugh. Okay, it came out more like a giggle, but who cares.

"Elina. What _did_ you pick?" She's already suspicious and it's way too satisfying to get one over her.

"Oh, just a game called Outlast. You know, for making me play Dandelion. I swear to god, you find the weirdest dating sims I've ever heard of." I can see her face as she opens up the game and becomes deathly still.

"Oh, hell no." This is going to be _glorious. _

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Haruhi's POV

This is getting ridiculous, not that it wasn't already, to be honest. Renge has finally calmed down, and Mori-senpai's keeping Hunny-senpai far away. The twins were still antagonizing Tamaki-senpai over the stupid cookie-crumb licking thing. I mean, why does he take everything so seriously? It's not like he's my boyfriend or something-NOPE, NOPE, NOPE, NOT GOING THERE-

"Oh lovely Renge, maybe you'll be the one to bring out Haruhi's inner femininity~" Renge isn't even here anymore, who is he- Argh, it's his inner theater going off again. Oh mother in heaven, what have I done to deserve this madness?

"Tama-chan, aren't Su-chan and Elina-chan feminine influences?"

"Yeah, Tono, what are they?"

"Such a biased father, Tono."

Looks like Tamaki-senpai's got the attention of the others, even Kyouya-senpai and Mori-senpai look intrigued.

He flushes red, "But-but, they're loud and vulgar and-" I interject.

"Normal? I can't even say that about you." He give an outraged gasp. Jeez.

"HARUHI! Don't make fun of your father."

"He thinks the same about you."

"MOMMY! We need to discipline our children!"

"Idiot." Kyouya mutters, heading towards the girls in discussion. Looks like they're engrossed in something on Suma's laptop. Suma looks tenser than , while Elina's laughing darkly next to her.

I mutter to the twins, "Do you think they're ok?"

I hear Elina goading, "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Suma bites out, "SHUT IT-SHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT, RUN DAMMIT!"

Kyouya-senpai seems confused, "What are you two doing?"

Elina answers for the both of them with a smirk, "Escaping from an insane asylum, of course."

"ELINA, I HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW. Just wait till next week-SHIT, JUMP YOU IDIOT!"

I take a glance at everyone else; the twins are watching the screen, standing behind them, while Mori-senpai looks at them with amusement.

Suma hisses under her breath, "Fucking necrophilia, fucking crazy people, fucking everything..."

Suma's going insane.

"MOMMY, they're using foul language!"

Aren't we all, going insane that is?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Suma's POV

WAIT A FUCKING SECOND. How the hell did we suddenly end up outside in an elaborate shooting area, like it's some bigshot movie...nevermind, it's Renge. What did I expect? Normal conversations and suggestions? PFFFFT, NOPE.

Apparently, _someone_ wants to make a movie about the Host Club, cough_Renge_cough, and now, there's a honest-to-god film crew and fake rain. Why? _WHY_?

Although Tamaki and the twins seem to be enjoying the lavish attention, Hunny-senpai, Mori-senpai, and Haruhi look close to snapping with irritation. Won't blame them, really. Renge tried to cast Elina and me as frenemies, or some bullshit like that, but we ended up bribing her with more dating sims so she'd back off. We have our methods; don't judge.

Elina managed to escape hours ago so she could catch up on homework back at the music room, while I was stuck "supervising," or more like "leeching off of all the free food they had". Haruhi finally finishes her scene and I drag her off to the side so that we could escape, _finally. _

An indignant yell draws our attention and we make our way closer to the source. Renge is confronting some tough-looking dudes, like those gangsters whom no one wants to mess with except for idiots like RENGE, DAMMIT.

One of the big guys pushes her into a nearby ladder, and I rush towards her to catch the falling ladder while Haruhi pushes Renge aside. There's a moment of silence as the two girls make sure they're both okay, while I readjust my left arm, which ended up bearing the brunt force of the ladder falling down. Damn, these ladders are legit steel; ugh, bruising is in the near future for sure.

In almost no time, the rest of the Host Club gathers around Haruhi to make sure she's ok, well except for one. I feel a lessening of weight on my arm and look up to see Mori putting the ladder safely down and turning to glare at me.

"_What?_" He scoffs and grabs my arm. His face immediately morphs into concern at my subsequent hiss.

"What happened?" I glance at the retreating goons, and Mori moves, probably to pummel them into the ground, when I grab his arm.

"Just don't. It's not worth it." He looks back at me. He _cares_, and that actually feels... great. And the fact that I may be a bit sneeze_attracted_sneeze doesn't help much. He takes a minute to retrieve an ice pack from the on-site medics.

"Try not to put yourself in unnecessary danger. Please." He's examining the newly forming bruise, and the both of us ignore the ruckus behind us.

"Oh, _sure, _let me just schedule that in after learning to breathe underwater and _oh_ can't forget about discovering that unicorns are real." He answers with a roll of his eyes and subtly presses down on the injury with the wrapped ice pack.

"FINEFINEFINE, I promise to try to stay away from danger, aside from stairs-those things are deathtraps." There's a moment of silence before both of us snort in unison.

I glance at Mori-senpai and I finally remember what I'd been trying to recollect all day.

"By the way, don't punch me for doing this."

"Hmm?" I awkwardly maneuver myself into a tight hug around his middle. He freezes for a long moment before relaxing and hugging back.

"Happy Birthday, senpai!"

"How—"

"Don't even bother asking. I have my ways. And also, I'm giving an extended special hug to make up for the fact that I forgot to get you an actual gift. So, deal with it." He smothers a laugh and humors me.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Elina's POV

I open the door, juggling my school bag and groceries, well, ice-cream to be specific, and shout out into the void. "YO, I GOT THE ICE CREAM!" I hear a pitiful groan in response. I know the feeling.

I throw my bag onto the counter and sludge towards the bedroom with the pints of ice-cream. Suma's curled into a fetal position and looks up with hope in her eyes when she sees my offering.

"Thank you, oh holy goddess~"

"It's for the both of us, you dunderhead. This is what we get for being around each other so much."

"Ugh, synchronized menstrual cycles is a myth."

"Not with us, Suma. This has happened for like the past four years."

"Just give me my damn ice cream."

"Alright, alright, Mango-Strawberry for you and Death by Chocolate for me."

There's a pleasant silence as we pull up Mean Girls on my laptop, and almost an hour later, Suma blurts out, "I hugged Mori-senpai, today."

I stifle my snort, "Oh really, did you two hook up afterwards?"

I get a pillow in the face for a response. "Idiot, I was just trying to be nice since it was his birthday and I didn't get him anything." She huffs and pouts at me. Isn't that just precious?

"Woah, woah, you know we both get a little weird this time of the month. Anyway, at least you're getting closer to him and confessing your feelings and stuff."

"Can we _not_? Let me suffer in self-mortification in peace."

"That's what friends are for, right?" This time, I get a spoon thrown in my face.

"WHAT THE FUCK, SUMA?"

"Hush, it's getting to the good part."

"Love you, too."

* * *

Hey everyone! Long time no see!

Seems like I'll be able to get these chapters during the holidays and stuff. I'm actually with the extended fam for the weekend for Thanksgiving. Although, it's definitely more awkward when your fam is the only vegetarian one among the others. Ehh, life.

Anway, Comment/Favorite/Follow! Real shit is going to go down soon, can't wait!

Your words and clicks are the elixir that keep me from going to a dark place where I'm only surrounded by evil homework.  
Seems like I'm going insane either way.

Love all of you beautiful people!


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